Two of the Same: Papau
by Ugasaiki
Summary: Sora and Cloud may have more in common than they think. Both live almost parellel lives, torn between love and destiny. Sora's tale. RxS, KxS
1. First Arc: Reflections 1

Disclaimer: Don't own them. They belong to the people at Square, Disney and the big corporate sponsors that have more money than they need in twenty lifetimes.

Warning: Blatant bias against Kairi. I don't like her, and I'm not going to pretend I do. She's not going to spontaneously combust, but she's not going to have an easy time in my story either. Also, brief (okay, maybe not really brief, per say) OOC by Sora because we all need a little mope once in a while, right?

Finally, this contains spoilers for the game and all that jazz. Read at your own risk. Since Tarzan-talk seems to be the language most people understand: no.float.boat...no.read. Okay? Okay.

Knowledge of the canonstoryline is recommended but not required, I don't think. The events that have already happened is pretty much the same as the canon storyline until Hollow Bastion, where the story changes sharply from the original.

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**Chapter 1: Reflection** part 1

_A scattered dream that's like a far off memory._

_A far off memory that's like a scattered dream._

_I want to pick up the pieces..._

_...yours and mine._ -KH2

The sky didn't seem as bright as it once did. Ever since the arrival of the heartless, stars had gone out one by one and night grew darker as time passed. So many stars had gone out that one could almost count the number of stars in the sky. Even the remaining stars seemed dimmer from the strain of the heartless' presence. It wasn't surprising; only a select few all the worlds could even touch the heartless, much less fight them. Every day, every hour, every minute that passes, the heartless grow stronger. Although keyholes had been sealed and battles won, the darkness was slowly but surely taking over.

The Keyblade Master.

The one hope, the only hope, that should have pierced the darkness of the heartless wasn't even supposed to be. Riku had been the intended keyblade master. Riku, the one who tried to take Pinocchio's heart, the one who had stood by Maleficent's side, and the one who betrayed the promise he made to Sora.

_**'Don't worry...'**_

Even so, it doesn't change the fact that Sora had just been a convenient vessel, the nearest strong heart that the keyblade could bind to. A temporary substitute.

Sora, Donald and Goofy had just returned to the sanctuary of Traverse Town from the emotional rollercoaster at Hollow Bastion. Hallow Bastion. Riku was still there with God knows who doing God knows what.

"Riku..." the faint whisper escaped Sora's lips and quickly dissipated into the air, not that there was anyone to listen in the first place. Sora had quietly left his hotel room, leaving his companions to their sleep. The two needed their rest.

Sora sat at the edge of the bank in the dank waterway underneath Merlin's house. With his arms wrapped tightly around his knees, he stared at the mural of the sun at the other end of the cavern. Sora could now see why Leon always came down to the waterway to train. The place eluded an air of solitude; it was what Sora needed to calm his thoughts.

A cool breeze rolled through the darkness and Sora shivered from the sudden chill.

_**'...I haven't forgotten.'**_

It had been only hours since they arrived at Traverse Town. It felt so much longer. Time did not flow smoothly after leaving Hollow Bastion. Minutes passed by like hours and hours passed like minutes. Sora had tried to fall asleep at the hotel. It seemed like an eternity that he was staring up at the darkened ceiling of his temporary room while an endless stream of thoughts swam around in his head. A glance at the clock showed that less than three minutes had passed but he felt like it had taken hours to sort out a few simple words.

_**'A promise is a promise.'**_

But then again, time was a figment of the imagination.

It took time seal the keyholes, it took time to travel in a gummi ship, and it took time to fight to the entrance of the castle. However, once those doors were breached, time stopped. Riku stood at the center of the room with his back towards the trio. Silver strands swayed slightly at the breeze caused by the opened doors. The entrance to the castle faded away. Hollow Bastion dissolved. All Sora could see was Riku's back, the clear blue sky, and the aqua green ocean horizon.

-----

_"Riku, what've you done with Kairi?" Sora demanded._

_This certainly wasn't the first confrontation the two friends had since their island's disapearance, but somehow, this meeting __was going to be special. Sora felt a tugging sensation within his heart; it was pulling him towards the center of the room, towards Riku. Sora fought to stand his ground while he stared at the back of Riku's head. The silver haired teen, for his part, continued to stand motionless, facing away from the trio._

_"You haven't changed at all, Sora." _

_Riku's voice hadn't changed. It was a deep tenor, it still held a somewhat higher pitch than an adults; no doubt his voice would only deepen as he got older._

_Riku slowly turned his head towards the side, then slid his frame, turning around to face the party. Aqua eyes, the same color that reflected off of the clear waters in the ocean back at home, ensnared Sora's gaze and pinned him in place by the doors. _

_"Changed?" Sora was thoroughly confused. Why would he have changed?_

_The silver haired teen stayed silent and continued to stare at Sora intently, never once sparing a glance at Donald or Goofy. _

_"Sora?" Donald observed Sora with concern in his eyes. The duck was clearly agitated, ready for a fight, but made no move to attack and waited for the keyblade master to make the first move. Sora, confused, shifted his weight to his defensive stance and summoned the keyblade to his hand. Thoughts crashed into each other in the maelstrom of his mind. He had so many questions for Riku. What was Riku planning? Where had he taken Kairi? Why is he doing this?_

_Riku finally broke eye contact and his eyes slowly trailed down Sora's figure. A small smirk spread on his lips. Sora suddenly felt nervous; he had never felt nervous when Riku looked at him before._

_"What's going on, Riku?" Sora asked as he tightened his grip on the keyblade. The smirk was still present on Riku's lips as he smoothly lifted his right hand towards the trio's direction. He stretched his arm in front of himself, offering his hand to Sora. _

_Sora's eyes widened at the enormous tidal wave behind Riku, rearing up for its descent. _

_"You still don't understand, do you?"_

_As Riku spoke,tendrils of black slithered across the pale flesh of his arm. Sora was reminded of the darkness that initially took Riku away, but this darkness was different. This darkness wasn't from an outside source; this darkness was emitted from Riku himself. _

_"Riku!" _

_Despite his utter confusion, Sora charged at his best friend. Donald and Goofy followed right behind._

_The darkness clinging to Riku's hand sagged with it's own weight and started to drip onto the floor at Riku's feet. Puddles of darkness began to form and, as if they had minds of their own, moved across the floor to form a circle around the trinity. Alarmed, Sora halted mid-charge. As the puddles of darkness moved they expanded, twisted and writhed, forming a disturbingly familiar shadow. Sora nearly gaped at the shadow that took on the form before him; it was an exact replica of Sora. _

_"That keyblade is mine."_

_Sora felt it break. He felt something in his chest snap, sending an intense wave of pain into his heart. The keyblade suddenly grew heavy. The pain in his chest almost masked the feeling of the keyblade's handle slipping from his fingers. Almost. With a cry of pain, Sora fell to his knees._

_The shadow-Soras swarmed, quickly flowing to surround each party individually, easily separating the group._

_"Sora!" Goofy cried as he smashed his shield against one of the shadows, trying to reach the real Sora. Donald squawked in anger, summoning lighting left and right to keep the attacking heartless at bay. However, despite their desperate efforts, the wizard and knight were soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of the shadow-Sora._

_Sora could only kneel, doubled over on the floor, with one hand barely supporting himself as he clutched his burning chest. Each breath he took only intensified the pain, spreading it through the rest of his body and into his limbs. Every nerve in his body screamed in agony from the overload. A small whimper escaped passed his lips._

_Although the pain nearly incapacitated him, Sora noticed the heartless were not attacking him. Clenching his teeth in determination, Sora lifted his head to look around at the dark, swirling figures surrounding him. _

_The shadow-Sora had formed a wall of darkness, slithering amongst themselves. At the center stood Riku. Sora could see Riku's face and body, clear and bright, starkly contrasted in the mesh of darkness that surrounded them both. Riku's appearance was the same as his voice, just as Sora remembered it. Silken silver strands framing a elegant, cream colored face; full peach lips, pulled into a slight smirk; intense aqua eyes with a light that rivaled the sun; the yellow sleeveless that molded to his muscled torso; black gloves fit perfectly on slightly curled fingers; every wrinkle down to his ridiculously puffy pants and dust specks on his purple shoes had stayed in the exact spot he remembered. _

_"What did you do to me?" Sora asked, voice laced with pain. One hand still clutching his chest, the boy tried to pushed his weight onto his legs. His legs didn't seem to agree with mind as they could not hold the weight he tried to put on it. They immediately gave way under him. Sora's vision blurred as he braced himself for impact on the hard, marble floor. _

_The impact never came. Fabric so familiar to his senses pressed against his cheek. Two strong arms held him, one around his encircled waist while the other held his left forearm._

_When had Riku moved?_

_The thought faded from his mind when Riku drew Sora into a tight embrace. In Riku's arms, Sora felt the pain in his heart dissipate. The body encircling his was so warm and safe. It was like the time years ago when he had fallen asleep in Riku's arms because they had stayed out way past midnight. On Destiny Islands, a place that probably didn't exist anymore. Sora snapped out of his revere; he all but shoved himself out of Riku's embrace. His head didn't like the sudden movement and his body tipped over to the side._

_An instant later, Sora found himself in Riku's arms once again._

_"Try and be a little more careful next time, okay?" Riku laughed as if nothing was wrong, as if they were not standing in the middle of a heartless horde at the entrance of a dark castle whose keyhole has yet to be sealed. Sora would've laughed hysterically if it were not for the fact that he could see anywhere from two to five Riku's standing side by side, merging together and splitting apart._

_Sora fisted one of the belts that criss-crossed on Riku's shirt and closed his eyes, trying to focus. He knew that there was only one Riku, not two to five then three back to five. He felt the breath flow over his face. Riku was so close._

_"No.", Sora pushed himself away from the other teen again. This time, Riku was ready for the motion and held fast. Riku had always been stronger than Sora so the younger teen only managed to push himself to about an arms length away. Refusing to give up, the brunette gritted his teeth and continued to struggle. "Let me go!", he demanded._

_"No." Riku firmly replied, "I won't." Riku's expression suddenly held a torrent of sorrow. His voice was low so Sora almost didn't hear the whispered words, "I'll never give you up."_

_Sora immediately ceased his struggles. It didn't matter whose side Riku was on anymore. Sora couldn't stand to see his friend in pain._

_"What's wrong?" Sora asked._

_Riku, as he schooled his features into a blank expression, replied "Now's not a good time to-" _

_"Now's a good time as any!" Sora interrupted, he let out a loud breath and continued, "What are you doing here?" he looked around him, unconsciously tightened his grip on Riku's arm, asked, "What are these-?"_

_"They're heartless.", Riku answered easily slipping on a smirk, "I thought you would've known that by now."_

_"You know what I mean! Don't avoid the question!"_

_"Anti-Sora."_

_"Huh?"_

_"They're called Anti-Sora.", Riku explained before he moved his hand to cover Sora's eyes. _

_Sora didn't have time to protest; he already sank into the dark oblivion of unconsciousness._

_Riku had managed to dodge the question._

_-----_

Sora picked up a small, flat rock near the bank's edge and threw it across the water's surface. The rock skipped about two times before breaking the surface with a ker-plop! and slowly sinking to the bottom. Riku could make it skip over a dozen times. He used to try and explain to Sora how, but Sora never seemed to be able to pull it off right.

The rocks had always flopped around a few times before they decended below the surface.

_**'We'll go together...'**_

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tbc

multiple part first chapter. Whoohoo!

Random side note: Riku's so hot in KH2 droools. Sora remained his cute little self (and I wouldn't change him for the world) while Riku grew into such a flaming hot (and tall)stud. I never knew how bangs over your eyes could be so sexy. mmm...Rikuuu's bangs...his deep, sexy voice...his EXPOSED NAVEL. MOOOO!

If something is pissing you off or confusing you, please don't hesitate to tell me. I don't like it when someone else misses a plot hole so I'll try to avoid it myself. Unless it's intentional cliffhangers (in which I will just laugh at you, diabolically) I will fix things as best I can. Also, I suck at grammer in general so don't hesitate to point those out to me. I appreciate every bit of constructive criticism you can dish out. Type 'til you're blue and I'll love every minute of it. Dish away. :) btw, does anyone want to beta this fic? Drop me a line if you are willing. It's not going to be hard with the snail pace I crank things out in.


	2. First Arc: Reflections 2

Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did, I'd have enough money to buy myself a personal ensemble. You know, the kind that follows you around and sings when stuff happens to you.

Warnings: spoilers for the game, the usual...and uhm, boring-ish-ness? This chapter is mainly for explanation purposes (hence the title "Reflections"). Lots of talk, not-so-lots of action. shrugs sorry, it needs to be done. The story would be kinda confusing and frustrating otherwise.

Thank you, all who reviewed! Especially **Just-a-Nightmare,** You're an awesome beta! I live off of your feedback. :)

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Chapter 1: Reflections part 2

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_I've been looking for you all this time. _

_You were here all along…_

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Riku had most of the answers.

He knew exactly what he had done, he knew exactly where Kairi was, and he knew exactly what was going on. However, just because he had most of the answers, doesn't mean he had all of them. A few still unanswered questions gnawed at his heartstrings. Most of which surrounded two people.

Sora and Kairi. Both of whom Riku held dear to his heart. Riku could remember his days on Destiny Islands. Those were the blissful and ignorant days, the happier days when all that mattered was Sora finishing his dinner so that he and Riku could play sooner. Sora had always and perhaps will always be Riku's rock, someone Riku could depend on to never change. Riku could always count on Sora to be just that: Sora. Sora and his vibrant, expressive eyes that, although predictable, never ceased to warm Riku's heart. However, there was so much more to the universe than the one world they had been born on. Riku was eternally grateful for Kairi's soft presence; her sudden arrival on the island made him think and question the truth of the knowledge he had.

What those two had been to Riku was clear. What Riku is to them proved to be a slightly different story, especially Sora's. The brunette obviously cared for everyone, but who was the one most special to him? Who was his light?

Sora never answered Riku's question, so Riku never fully knew what lay in the depths of brunette's heart. He was not going to assume anything. Assuming was what ultimately usurped Maleficent and Riku was not going to make that mistake.

Even so, Riku had the sinking feeling that Sora would choose Kairi.

"Boy?" a low, raspy voice interrupted Riku's thoughts. Riku shifted his eyes sideways to look at the speaker.

The voice belonged to a man. His face was half hidden in the shadows under a hooded cloak, as was the rest of his body, but his features were distinct. Sharp cheekbones accentuated slanted yellow eyes, two thin mustache clung to the skin above his mouth, twisted by the snarl he held at the tip of his tongue. His nose was small but sharp, contrasting the strong and large chin that jutted out prominently from the rest of his facial features. He had a bulky upper body that took up way too much room for his own good.

"Yes, Shan Yu?" Riku asked without moving to turn his head fully towards the Hun.

The Hun fixed a steady stare at Riku and answered in a hushed growl, "We're waiting."

The teen didn't answer immediately and continued to keep steady eye contact with the Hun, letting the silence hang.

Shan Yu was challenging Riku's authority. No one dared to break the silence, each person fully aware of the silent battle between the two. The tension in the room grew thicker by the second. The closest anyone has ever gotten to actually beating Riku was Sora, and even the brunette was far from Riku's level.

Riku had never lost to anyone before and he certainly wasn't going to start now.

-----  
_  
Sora's body crumpled and fell forward. Riku caught his friend's slack form. He bent down slightly, placing his arm behind Sora's knees and picked the boy up with very little effort. Riku adjusted his arm around Sora's shoulders and tilted the smaller boy's form so that his head automatically lolled onto Riku's shoulder. Sora's breath fell lightly onto the older teen's neck. Clutching his best friend's body closer to his own, Riku began to leave the entrance. _

A shout halted his movement.

"Hey, You!" Donald, having broken the wall of heartless that surrounded him, was charging towards Riku, staff raised in offense.

One of the anti-Sora materialized before Donald and forced him to halt.

"My name is **Riku**." he sneered at the duck, "I thought you'd know that by now."

With one final strike of his shield, Goofy finally managed to break the wall of heartless that had surrounded him and ran up to stand next to Donald. The knight raised his shield, ready to attack. "Where are you taking Sora?" Goofy asked.

"I have no intention of hurting him, if that's what you're asking", Riku replied, turning his head to the side to glance at the duo. He turned his head back and made to continue on his way.

"We can't take your word for it." Donald retorted. He gripped his staff fiercely, eyes fixed on the heartless that looked so much like the Keyblade master.

Riku spun around to glare the two companions. "I don't have to prove anything to you." Riku spat. There was only one person who Riku wanted and needed approval from. He didn't care about the opinion of anyone else.

Donald didn't like the answer. He stepped forward and said in a strong voice, "Then we're coming with you!"

"Sora is our friend." Goofy added, "We'd never leave him behind."

Goofy made eye contact with Riku and held his gaze. Riku glared at the knight, but the knight's gaze never wavered.

After intense moments of silence, Riku relented. "Fine." he muttered. He didn't want more company, but he was pretty sure Sora would not approve if the mage and the knight were hurt. Riku nonchalantly sighed, dismissing the anti-Soras blocking the two companions and calmly walked out of the main entrance with Sora's two party members trailing closely behind. Not a single word was spoken among the three throughout the entire trek. With every passing moment, Donald became more and more agitated. It wouldn't be long before the duck would burst into a fit of rage. Riku didn't care one way or the other, Goofy was fearful but ready, and Sora was completely oblivious to the entire predicament.

A few of the doors they passed held noisy occupants. Goofy thought he heard a beastly roar from behind one of them but he kept his thoughts to himself. The three walked for what seemed like hours around the twisting corridors of the castle. Riku continued to pad down the corridors while he held Sora's body securely against his own.

Eventually, the silver-haired teen came to a stop in front of two large, oak doors. Riku walked towards the two doors with steady steps. Before Riku had reached the frame, the doors slid open on their own accord to reveal a lavish red room. The room was lit with small, crystal glass lanterns in an odd shape like that of an egg on top of a lotus flower. The walls were painted a light shade of sky blue with white embroidery on the lower half. In the dim light, the ceiling and the floor were hidden in the shadows. Only one piece of furniture adorned the room. At the center an enormous, four-poster bed, stood half hidden within the drapes that flowed from the high ceiling.

Riku entered the room and carefully laid Sora's unresisting body onto the bed. He slowly slipped his arms from around Sora and sat down on the silken sheets, making a slight dip in the mattress. Sora's head fell to the side, away from Riku.

Donald and Goofy made to enter the room but Riku held up a hand to stop their approach. The teen moved his hand to cover Sora's. He did not speak, he just watched as the brunette slept peacefully. After a few moments, Riku slipped his fingers away from Sora's hand. He slid from the bed, confidently walked towards the large doors, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaned his back on the doorframe.

Never acknowledging the presence of the other two, Riku gazed into the room. He wasn't planning to make the first move.

"So what are you planning to do now?" Donald asked, too agitated to wait any longer. When Riku continued to gaze at Sora's sleeping form without giving any indication that he had heard the question, the duck frowned but continued, "I'm Donald Duck, high magician of King Mickey's court. I'm under orders from to the King to follow the Keyblade."

"And I'm Goofy!" the knight added, "I'm under the same borders."

"Orders!" Donald corrected in a huff.

Riku's eyes followed the conversation between the two. He couldn't see how these two could have survived this long. One was a lit fuse while the other was a complete idiot and neither were very strong. One possibility entered his mind; Sora must have done most of the work. He turned around and peered into the room again with a sigh. In a low voice, he said, "As long as you don't get in my way."

Donald felt as confused as Goofy looked. The mage asked, "What are you talking about?"

"So..." a new voice interrupted, " You've managed to obtain the Keyblade." Three heads turned towards the source of the voice.

Maleficent.

She stood tall in her flowing, midnight black robes as she languidly watched the sleeping form of Sora within the room. Riku cursed at his inattention; he had not felt her silent approach.

Goofy didn't quite believe what he had just heard. "Huh?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

Donald managed to come up with a slightly better question, "Keyblade?"

"What do you plan to do with the boy?" she asked, completely ignoring Donald and Goofy as she slid her eyes from the door to land a fixed stare on Riku.

"That's none of your concern." came the curt reply.

"What do you mean, 'obtained the Keyblade'?" Donald tried again, "The Keyblade is Sora's and Sora's alone!"

Maleficent raised her staff from the ground slightly and tapped the ground once and silently cast a spell. She muttered in contempt, "Fools." As she held her head high in arrogance, Maleficent drifted past the frozen Donald and Goofy, moving closer to Riku. She lowered her voice even though only Riku could hear her, "That child is useless now." the black witch urged, glancing at the mage and frowned when she saw the frozen duck's glare oddly fixed on her, "He will be nothing but extra baggage."

"I'll do what I want with him." Riku's voice was colder than ice. Maleficent could see his closed fist shaking.

"He is in your way," Maleficent almost asked. The confidence in her voice wavered.

"He is mine, Maleficent," Riku hissed, "Do not touch what is **mine**."

Riku's rigid stance, his clear anger, made Maleficent reevaluate her beliefs about the boy. Perhaps she had initially misread him. Maleficent always prided herself in her inherent ability for quick thinking. It didn't disappoint her. A stray thought floated into her mind.

"What is he to you?" the silky assurance creeping back into her voice. Maleficent took in every movement that the boy made. For a split second, she noted a slight change of expression on his face. It was small, a delicate twitch of the eyebrow and a slight downward curve at the corner of his mouth, but she didn't miss it. Maleficent made a mental note to explore this newly discovered avenue of Riku's heart.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Riku growled as he spared a quick, sideways glance through the open door, "That's none of your concern." His voice was low and his face was back to the emotionless mask he always put on in front of Maleficent, warning her to back down.

Before she had time to pry further, she felt her spell fading. Their two guests would arouse from their frozen state soon.

Maleficent quickly glided back to the spot she had been before she cast the spell on her two guests. Riku continued to glare at her. Donald and Goofy roused from their frozen states, oblivious to the small conversation that had passed between the teen and the witch.

"What happened?" Donald asked as he looked around.

"What ever do you mean?" Maleficent asked. She didn't fool Donald.

"I felt magic around me stir." Donald quacked angrily, "Someone cast a spell just now." You cast that spell. What did you cast? The question didn't need to be asked; it hung thickly in the air.

"I assure you, no one cast any spell." Maleficent said in a steady voice, "If someone did, I would be aware of it. After all, this is my castle."

Having had enough, Donald lost his temper and raged, "I don't believe you. What just happened?" He flailed his arms around, jumping up and down on the floor. The duck continued to glare at Maleficent.

Apparently, the mage was somewhat smarter than he looked.

Riku glowered at Maleficent as she stared at him intently, silently communicating to him that their conversation was not over yet. Riku scowled, spun on his heel and silently stalked into the room where Sora slept, slamming the large doors behind him. The witch tightened her grasp on her staff in fury but refrained from taking any action. She could do nothing but wait and bide her time, but this new information might prove quite useful to her. When Maleficent had first approached Riku, she had made one miscalculation: she thought that Riku had wanted Kairi.

"What are you hiding?" Donald asked the witch suspiciously.

Maleficent turned her attention to the two figures Riku had left behind. She felt her staff hum with anger and the bile rising in her throat.

It must have been Merlin.

The wizard she hated above all and the only wizard that she truly feared; in the use of magic, he was the only being more powerful than she. Merlin must have given those two their weapons. Merlin's magical signature radiated off of the knight and mage. Maleficent's face twisted with disgust. Plans of how to rid herself of King Mickey's lackeys were already forming in her head. Donald tightened his grip on his staff with a spell on the tip of his tongue.

Maleficent knew how to pick her fights. She didn't have much time left so she couldn't waste her time with these two.

Without another word, Maleficent schooled her features together, turned the opposite direction, and swiftly retreated down the hall.

Donald moved to follow her, but Goofy stopped him.

"Sora's in there, Donald." Goofy said, pointing to the doors Riku had so forcefully closed, "We can't just leave him there alone." Goofy didn't need to say it; it was already implied. **With Riku**.

"Ahh, phooey," was all Donald could manage as he crossed his arms across his chest and tapped his foot in impatience. If there was one thing that really pushed Donald's patience, however thin it may be, it was getting left out of the loop. He glared at the withdrawing black figure of Maleficent's cape as it faded into the dark reaches of the wide castle hallway.

The two elite of King Mickey's court waited anxiously by the closed door, waiting for the two people beyond.

-----

Although he was confident in his own abilities, Shan Yu weighed his options. He had witnessed Riku's skill in a fight only once and the silver haired teen had won without breaking a sweat. Even though the fight had been intense, Shan Yu could tell Riku had been holding back. The teen's full potential had yet to be revealed. As much as Shan Yu hated to admit it, he was very likely to lose if he tried to engage Riku in battle.

Shan Yu lowered his gaze, silently admitting defeat. The Hun snarled one last time before turning to take his leave. With a wave of the hand Riku dismissed the rest of gathering around him. The rest of the group was more than ready to leave as quickly as possible.

In the company of silence, Riku's thoughts began to wander again.

Sora was going to come back to Hollow Bastion.

All Riku had to do was wait. It was just a matter of time.

Riku brought his right hand up to eye level and studying the black genie lamp he held loosely. Jafar may not be as useless as Riku first thought.

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tbc

Note: Yeah, a few suggestive comments came out of Riku's pretty little mouth. Yay for suggestive content:)  
Also, about the Riku not losing to anyone part. I'm well aware that in the first game, you have a few opportunities to beat Riku. Personally, I never was able to beat him. (I beat Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie three-to-one hands down many times, but I was not able to beat Riku by his lonesome...mainly because of that aggravating drop-kick and because I kept FALLING OVER THE STUPID LEDGE.)

You know the drill. The button calls...


	3. First Arch: Reflections 3

Hey, here's the next part of Two of the Same (remember waaayyy back when? yeah, I'm still alive) I hope you like it!

Wow. Over a year in the making. Is everyone still with me? I'm sorry this update took so freakishly long...bad things happen 

Anyway, I'm not going to blather much, as I have already made everyone wait so long for this chapter. Well, look on the bright side, this chapter is longer than all the others combined...so that's a plus...right? -…Right? …?

Chapter 1: Reflections part 3

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_Close your eyes…_

_You'll see me here…_

_Waiting for you on the other side._

----

Sora didn't know how long he had been staring at the sun mural as he sat by the bank in the waterway. His butt muscles had been dead for some time now so he figured it must have been quite a while. The waterway was calm and quiet, but that didn't mean it helped him order his thoughts. Nothing seemed to fit together properly. All his thoughts centered on a circular thought pattern that got him nowhere.

The most important question had not been answered. Back at home, things were so simple. Sora would have gone to his mother for help whenever he had a decision that he couldn't make. She had always help him to organize the pros and cons of each option and decide from there. She had always guided Sora through the entire thing, showing him certain key factors that he would not have thought otherwise. It seemed she had a kind of mother's sixth sense; she understood him, she had all the answers, and they were always correct.

The choice seemed simple enough: follow his destiny, or follow his heart.

However, there were no clear pros and cons to weigh. This was not a choice that can be decided by tally marks and addition. Sora also had the feeling his mother would not have been able to help even if his mother were with him. He had to make his decision by himself but that did not stop him from wanting the comfort anyway.

"What should I do, mom?" Sora asked to the thin air in front of him, "I wish you were here. You always knew what to do."

No one answered. His mother wasn't here anymore. His home wasn't here now either, not after it disappeared into the darkness.

Wakka. Selphie. Tidus. They were all gone; swallowed up by the darkness.

He should be out sealing worlds, defeating the heartless, saving the universe with Kairi; but he isn't. He was sitting in a dank waterway in Traverse Town with no feeling in his behind and a whirlwind of thoughts that always seemed to end up nowhere. He didn't really want to think, but since he couldn't fall asleep, he had nothing to do but think. However, when he really thought about it, he found that he didn't really didn't want to be out there saving the world at all.

There was one place, above all others, that he wanted to be. He was certain of that one place and the knowledge both frightened him and made his heart heavy with regret.

"Kairi, I'm sorry." he whispered sadly, "You deserve better than this."

At one point in his life, Sora had asked Selphie for her opinion. She had a knowing expression on her face throughout the long and awkward conversation. Selphie asserted, quite firmly, that it was love that he feels towards Kairi. She had monologued for quite some time about the most wonderful feeling in the world, being in love. Sora had listened intently as Selphie explained everything he was suppose to feel. When the girl asked Sora to affirm her statements, and he had felt the need to reassure her, but he didn't feel right agreeing.

It wasn't that he didn't trust her—despite her dramatics, Selphie was very helpful when she wanted to be—it just seemed weird to say 'yes' when he wasn't sure of the answer. So, he changed the topic and asked her if she had felt that way towards anyone. She had answered in the affirmative, a dreamy expression floated across her face as her voice trailed off, long forgetting about her question.

Sora really had no reason to argue or deny the statements Selphie had made that day. Sora did care deeply for Kairi. She meant something indescribable to him and she always will. They shared a bond that could not be broken by anything.

He shook his head, trying to clear that thought away from his mind. It always led to a more important question, a question Sora didn't want to deal with just yet. Even so, Sora was not going to just abandon Kairi.

This looped him back to square one yet again. He still could not answer Riku's question.

Sora sighed. He wished his friends were by his side, like they used to be, ready to steer him in the right direction.

-----

_Beyond the large, oak doors where Donald and Goofy stood anxiously waiting, Riku was enjoying himself immensely. He laid himself down on the lavish bed, body flush next to Sora's still one. The older teen had propped himself up on one elbow, head held in his half folded hand so that he'd be able to see Sora's face. He trailed his free down Sora's lax face, occasionally playing with a stray chocolate strand. The brunette's eyes were still closed in rest. His breaths were calm and even, his head resting squarely in the soft pillows. Sora had always been bad at lying._

_Riku couldn't help but smirk._

_"You can stop pretending now, Sora." Riku chuckled. "No one asleep would be this rigid."_

_Blue eyes fluttered open but immediately moved to the side, avoiding eye contact. Riku's heart clenched at the movement; he wanted to look Sora in the eyes. After all, Sora's most distinctive feature was his eyes. _

_Despite the fact that Sora was probably one of the most extroverted people Riku has ever met, the brunette had always been hard to read. _

_It wasn't that Sora held anything in, quite the opposite. Sora held nothing back; he would show everything. But it was the sheer amount of emotions that the brunette showed that made it hard to categorize and sort out his expressions. Everything was there, it was just a matter of sorting all of that out. Through the years of their friendship, Riku had slowly but surely learned how to read those brilliant blue eyes. _

_Riku moved his hand from Sora's soft hair and gently gripped the brunette's chin to turn the boy's head._

_Having long ago learned that gentle prodding elicited much more response than manhandling, Riku kept a firm, but gentle hold on Sora's chin spoke in a gentle voice, "Sora, look at me."_

_Hearing the soft-toned command, Sora offered little resistance. He allowed Riku to slowly turn his head back. The brunette lowered his gaze to continue to avoid eye contact despite the firm hold on his chin. Sora was not going to make this easy for either of them. Riku was fully prepared, though. It wasn't the first time Sora refused to look him in the eye. They had arguments like this before. Both of them knew, very well, that if Sora looked into Riku's eyes the brunette was finished. Sora always had a soft spot for Riku's piercing gaze, and time certainly couldn't change that fact. _

_Riku sighed. If Sora wanted to play this game, then so be it._

"_Sora, you're not looking at me." Riku asserted in a voice that was meant for stubborn and unreasonable toddlers who didn't want to eat their vegetables._

_In return, Sora mumbled something unintelligible._

_Riku just lifted a silver eyebrow, skeptic. He was a patient person when he wanted to be. Leaning closer to the younger teen, Riku held up a hand and cupped his ear. "What was that? I seemed to have missed what you'd just said."_

_Sora muttered in a more clear voice, "'m already looking at you."_

"_Having your head turned in my general direction does not constitute looking, Sora." Riku logically reasoned. His voice did not hold any mockery, but it might as well have been. He had deadpanned, displaying the obviousness of Sora's desperate attempts at avoiding eye contact._

"_Yes it does." Sora protested. "I'm looking at **you**." –in your general direction. You never said I had to look you in the eyes._

_Riku countered right back._

"You're staring at my lower half, Sora." Riku smirked. "Do you see something you like?" 

_Sora's face matched his pants. Just leave it to Riku to twist the most innocent gesture into a sexual act. However, Sora was not about to be defeated so easily. They were rivals after all. The younger teen moved his gaze but fixed it on the crisscrossing black straps on Riku's yellow shirt and still managed to shirk his inevitable doom._

_Riku had something to say to that too._

"_No, staring at my gorgeous chest doesn't count either." _

_Riku was surprisingly calm for how childish his younger companion was acting, but that could also be attributed to the visible blush that turned up to a brighter shade of read after the comment._

_Now wrung dry of excuses, the younger teen reluctantly raised his gaze again and their eyes met. Sora felt he would melt into the reflection of himself in the aquamarine orbs he looked into; his mind, a blank slate. The gaze he saw was heated, filled with an emotion that he didn't recognize._

_Riku's eyes had always been intense. His gaze reflected his strong spirit and determined nature. The gaze Sora now saw was just as intense as before, but it was somehow different from the past. It was a look he would get after he won a sparring match against Sora. Particularly when he won one of the frequent tussles they had over Kairi._

_Kairi! Sora's mind snapped back into working order._

_It was only when Riku's expression quickly morphed to that of resentment that Sora realized he had said her name out loud. _

"_What about her?" Riku sneered in contempt.._

"_Kairi," Sora repeated, "Where is she?"_

_Riku chuckled a bit but he did not break eye contact. "Now you just sound like a broken record." He started moving his hand to fix a stay lock of brown hair, as if the mess known as Sora's hair could ever be tamed._

_"No, Riku." Sora grabbed Riku's moving hand and sat up with a determined resolve showing clearly in his steady gaze, "Stop dodging the question! I will get an answer from you! " He brought himself to the same eye level as the older teen and continued in a voice that left no room for argument, "Why did you take Kairi away? What are you planning to do with her?"_

_Riku's eyes darkened as he answered, "I don't care about her."_

_Sora frowned. "You can't mean that."_

"_Yes, I mean it." Riku replied firmly, " I don't care about what happens to her."_

"_But she's our friend." Sora protested immediately. He didn't understand it. Riku had always cared about Kairi. When they were younger, the older teen had constantly vied for, and won, Kairi's attention. He couldn't possibly just stop caring about her._

"_She's **your** friend." Riku corrected. " Not mine. Never mine."_

"_But-"_

_Riku wouldn't have any of it. "I heard her that day." He said gravely, pausing in hopes that Sora would understand. When Sora looked at him with expectant eyes, he sighed and continued. " The day before we left." He looked away in remembrance, "When she asked you to go with her."_

_Sora remembered. He had thought it was weird and out of the blue, but he hadn't thought much of it. _

"_You didn't realize it, and you still don't." Riku turned his piercing gaze back to Sora, "She wasn't joking."_

_Sora didn't prevent the surprise from showing. He didn't really know what to do with this new bit of information. Kairi had brushed aside the suggestion before Sora had a chance to protest and she never mentioned it again so he had assumed that she was just pulling his leg. Sora never realized she had been serious and he certainly didn't notice that Riku had been listening._

_Chuckling at the bewildered look on Sora's face, Riku decided to fall back on his old teasing routine, "You can be so dense sometimes, Sora."_

"_And you can be a stubborn ass." Sora countered, an immediate reaction to years of bickering, "And you're still dodging the question."_

_Riku sighed. It looked like Sora wasn't going to let this go. It didn't mean Riku would give in so easily, "It's not as much a matter of 'what' as it is a matter of 'why'."_

_Sora stuck his lips out in a pout, "Fine then. Why are you doing this?" He crossed his arms in defiance._

_The answer was still as vague as before. "Would you believe me if I told you that this is all for you?"_

_"Me?" Sora asked, incredulous. "I don't want this, Riku. I don't want any of this! I want-"_

_Riku moved his fingers over Sora's lips, stilling the words. Riku smiled at his best friend and looked over the brunette. _

_Sora had lost most of his puppy fat so he no longer sported the slightly pudgy belly he had from a few years back. Soft brown hair that stuck up chaotically in every direction framed a heart shaped face. His smooth, sun-kissed skin belied all of the hardships he has faced. He stared intently into at Riku with his intense, blue eyes that were clouded with confusion and betrayal. His lips were slightly chapped and unconsciously curled into a slight pout. It was almost too much. _

_"What **do** you want, Sora?" _

_"I want you back, Riku." Sora answered firmly, "I can see it. The darkness. It's is taking over you and-"_

_Sora had misinterpreted the question so Riku cut him off, "No, I phrased that badly." His eyes bore intently into Sora's as he firmly continued, "Who do you want, Sora?"_

_At Sora's bewildered expression, Riku clarified, "If you had to choose between Kairi and me, who would it be?" _

_**You. **Sora thought immediately. His throat seized and no sounds escaped. Sora was startled by the certainty of his mind. His physical state, however, didn't immediately agree. He was quite a sight; full blush on his cheeks, blue eyes wide with surprise, mouth hanging wide open. He didn't know if he was breathing properly because he started getting light headed. When he did manage to find his voice, the word that came out certainly reflected his confusion,_

_"Huh?"_

_"You heard me." Riku did not let his gaze waver. "Her or me?"_

_"But," Sora protested, "I can't chose between you two." The first thing he felt was confusion and he asked, "What kind of choice is that?"_

_"A very real one." Riku replied firmly._

_Sora then felt his heart clench. He felt guilty because he had not thought of Kairi. It was a while before he spoke, "I...", Sora lowered his gaze, mumbled, "I don't know."_

_"Tch." Riku nearly spat, "Figures."_

_Sora looked up. Riku had turned his head to the side, clearly upset about the lack of an answer. Sora was suddenly compelled to take back what he had just said, to tell Riku that he was sure of his answer. He didn't want to see his best friend upset._

_Sora frowned and averted his gaze again. He wanted so badly to comfort his friend, but he couldn't just forget about Kairi. He wasn't so sure of the answer anymore so he really couldn't tell Riku anything. Sora fixed his gaze onto a painting that hung on the opposite wall. For a moment, he was mesmerized by the moving shadows that made the colors fade in and out of darkness. _

_That's when he realized. The colors had moved. Colors were not suppose to move. _

_"Heartless!" Sora hissed. Instinctively, he called out to the keyblade. _

_Nothing happened. He called the keyblade again and was still met by silence. _

_"Wha-?" Sora looked down at his hands confusedly._

_Riku noticed. Riku always noticed everything._

_With an unreadable expression, Riku stretched his hand out to Sora. In a flash of light, the keyblade appeared in Riku's hand. "Looking for this?", he asked, his face still blank. _

_"My keyblade!" Sora gasped._

_"No, Sora. This is **my** keyblade." Riku said as he tightened his grip on the blade, he continued in a grave voice, "**I** was suppose to be the keyblade master."_

_"H-how-?" Sora stuttered. It seemed he couldn't get his voice to work. _

_"I don't intend to give it up.", he said firmly. Sora made to protest. _

_"And." Riku interrupted before Sora could begin, "I don't intend to give you up either." _

_Sora lost all capacity for speech. He remembered his confrontation with Riku at the castle hall not long ago._

_**"You still don't understand, do you?"**_

_Riku must have taken the keyblade from Sora then. The brunette had just been too distracted by the sudden pain consuming his body to notice right away. _

_**"That keyblade is mine."**_

_Riku was supposed to be the keyblade master. Not Sora. Too many emotions were flowing through him at once. Confusion. Hurt. Anger. Anxiety. Sorrow. Guilt. Sora tried to form words, but what was he supposed to say? He found himself speechless again. The boy's mind went into overdrive trying, but failing, to process the information it just received. Sora had been just a temporary replacement. His body trembled slightly from the strain._

_"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten." Riku spoke softly as he gently pushed Sora back down onto the bed, "A promise is a promise." _

_Riku leaned down right next to Sora's ear, lips barely millimeters away from flesh. _

_"We'll go together." Riku whispered three words into Sora's ear that made the smaller boy close his eyes in sorrow, a lone tear escaped his control and leaked out from the side of his eye and slowly trailed down his cheek. The tear did not travel far as Riku gently wiped it away with a finger. _

_Sora kept his eyes closed even as he felt soft lips descend upon his own, stealing his breath away. Sora was beyond startled. His eyes snapped open and his vision was greeted with the silver fringe of Riku's bangs. _

_It was the last thing he had expected. Gloating, yes. Leaving him to rot, maybe. But kissing? That one sent Sora's already confused mind reeling over the edge. _

_The soft lips moved with slow and agonizing heat, coaxing Sora to participate. He felt as if the contact were searing his flesh, but he couldn't seem to pull away. A desperate urge rose up within Sora, one that told him to give in and kiss back. It was an ache he never felt before, sensual and tempting but he refused it. Sora lay still, whether afraid or unwilling to kiss back, he would never know. He closed his eyes again, unable to hold back his tears. Sora's heart clenched painfully in his chest again so wrenched his head to the side, breaking the kiss. He kept his head turned to the side, refusing to meet the other boy's gaze. If he looked into Riku's eyes, he would surely relent to those searing aquamarine gaze. The one he felt gazing intently at him right now. _

_Riku lightly caressed Sora's sun-kissed cheek. Sora didn't respond, he didn't even dare to breathe. After an agonizing moment, he heard Riku's disappointed sigh and felt the pressure of soft lips on his temple._

_The lips trailed down the side of his face, leaving a path of tingling skin in its wake. Sora's eyes slipped close at the sensations. The brunette bit back a moan, tensing with the strain, but otherwise forced himself to stay still._

_Riku moved his lips close to Sora's upturned ear and whispered in a low, husky voice, "I'll be back."_

_Sora kept his eyes closed and felt the shift in the bed as Riku moved away. Soft footsteps, muffled by the plush carpet moved away from the bed. Sora didn't open his eyes to watch Riku's retreating back. If he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from begging Riku to stay. _

_Riku gracefully walked up to the room's exit and pushed open the heavy oak doors to reveal a very agitated Donald Duck and an ever-confused Goofy. Riku still held the keyblade in his hand and nodded once at the two and strode right past them without a word._

_Confused beyond belief, Donald stuttered, "What?" _

_Goofy didn't fare any better, "Sora's keyblade!" _

_"No, Goofy. This," Riku held up the kingdom key, "is mine."_

_"Gwarsh, what do we do, Donald?" Goofy asked the wizard, "I don't want to leave Sora here alone."_

_"I don't like it any more than you do," Donald replied, he huffed and continued, "but, our orders are to follow the keyblade."_

_With grave expressions etched on their faces, Donald and Goofy gazed through the closing crack through the door at Sora's prone form on the bed. After the door automatically closed, they turned away and reluctantly trudged behind the silver haired boy._

_As the retreating footsteps faded, Sora finally let out his breath and opened his eyes. He let the tears he held back moments ago sp_ill freely down his cheeks.

-----

Sora had it wrong. Heck, everyone but Maleficent and Riku had it wrong. Riku was supposed to be the keyblade master. Not Sora. Never Sora.

"Too much to think about?" A gentle voice startled Sora out of his thoughts.

Sora snapped his head towards the voice, tensing his muscles, ready for attack. He was annoyed with himself for letting his guard slip so low but he relaxed when he saw it was Merlin. The old wizard was slowly walking towards Sora. The wizard stopped next to forlorn boy.

"Care to share your thoughts, my boy?" he asked softly.

"Not really…" came the melancholy reply.

"Sometimes," Merlin emphasized by tipping his hat, "Sharing some of that burden with someone else helps relieve some of the strain."

Sora sighed; Merlin wasn't going to give up on this one. Only problem, his story was long, complicated, and very personal. After a few moments of silence, Sora decided to ask one question that sums up his situation pretty well.

"What do you do when you have to make a choice that can't be made?"

"Well, that's easy. You make the right one."

Normally, Sora would've laughed at the wizard's bad attempt at a joke. He only looked sadly at the wizard and said, "I wish it was that easy."

"I said you needed to make the right one. I never said it would be an easy choice to make."

"Still, how can I choose between-?" Sora couldn't find his voice to continue.

"Ah, what you **ought** do and what you **want** to do, right?" Merlin asked, his keen mind catching on immediately. Sora nodded his affirmation. Merlin sighed and continued, "I'm afraid I do not have an answer to that."

Sora sighed. He didn't expect Merlin to have an answer, but that didn't make it any less disappointing.

"However," Merlin continued, "Even if I were the wisest of all existence, I could not tell you the answer that best suits you."

Sora lowered his head in resignation and at the small pebbles at his feet. After a silent moment, Merlin looked thoughtful. "You care for him," the wizard said suddenly, "More than you want to admit."

Sora's head shot up sharply, he gasped, "How-?"

Merlin smiled kindly, a bit of sadness floating across his expression, "I can see it in your eyes. The conflict there speaks volumes."

Sora lowered his gaze, his shoulders slumped in weariness. Merlin was right. The wizard placed a warm hand on Sora's slumped shoulders. "Come, we should continue this conversation inside." he suggested kindly.

"Besides," Merlin chuckled as gestured to himself, "the humidity here is not good for these old bones."

Sora smiled and nodded. He moved to get up, but his lower half was somewhat slower on the uptake. Sora figured it was the least he deserved after sitting there for so long. Merlin chuckled discretely. It took a while for Sora to get any feeling back into his lower half; and when he did, it wasn't pleasant. Sora was eventually able to stand without toppling over and followed Merlin up the stairs.

"Oh!" Merlin started, trying to strike up conversation again, "What's that in your hand?"

Sora looked down at his hands. He was clutching a small black keychain. He had been holding it the entire time, unconsciously unwilling to let it go. It was his only connection to Riku and Kairi.

"It's a gift." Sora answered, his expression forlorn again. "From…a friend." He did not elaborate further.

Merlin knew his boundaries so he let the subject drop. The wizard did not speak again, allowing a companionable silence between himself and Sora.

While following the old wizard, Sora's thoughts wandered back again. His grip on the dark keychain tightened.

-----

_It was a long time before Sora could stop his tears and even longer waiting for them to dry. He didn't know how long he had spent just staring at the shadows on the ceiling, everything and nothing going through his head at once. He wanted to get up, find Riku, and demand explanation; but what was Riku suppose to explain? Why he was the true keyblade master? Why he pretended to want Kairi? The answers were clear enough, but Sora didn't want to admit it just yet. _

_Sora didn't know how long he stared at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do. The ceiling was dark, so he could've fallen asleep for all he knew. Either way, it made no difference. The next thing he knew, a voice cut into his blank mind._

_"How long do you plan to lay there, boy?"_

_Startled, Sora shot up into a sitting position. His eyes had long ago adjusted to the darkness, but he still struggled to see the dark figure standing in the shadows before him. The dim light of the lamps silhouetted the tall figure. _

_"Who-?" Sora asked in a small voice as he unconsciously scooted backwards, trying to move away from the dark figure._

_"I think that, by now, you'd know who I am." A new light source lit beside the figure, illuminating the pale face once hidden in the darkness._

_"Maleficent." Sora gasped._

_The dark witch stared at Sora, not speaking. The tension in the air hung thick, but Sora didn't know what to say. They were alone, so Maleficent didn't hide behind a calm mask and glared at Sora with unrestrained spite. This boy had been her only miscalculation. She had thought Riku wanted that girl, Kairi. If that fact had been true, Maleficent would have still held a card over Riku. However, now that Riku had revealed what he truly wanted, not only did Riku cut all strings she thought she had him tethered to, he had insulted her intelligence. Riku didn't have any reason to obey her anymore, and he made that fact very clear. _

_Maleficent was furious, but she was not about to let an arrogant teenager get the best of her. She had more subtle ways of revenge and she stood in front of it now. The small brunette that seemed to mean so much to Riku was the perfect target. Despite Riku's uncaring exterior, he would be crushed if his loved ones were hurt. Maleficent planned to take full advantage of that fact._

_Sora had become uncomfortable under the intensely sharp gaze but remained still. He was too nervous to fidget. _

_"What are you worth?", Maleficent asked suddenly, her voice dripping with spite._

_Sora was confused. He seemed to be confused very often in the short span of time he had been at the castle._

_"What does-?"_

_Maleficent struck her staff onto the ground loudly, effectively silencing Sora. _

_"I'm asking the question here!" she nearly shouted, "What are you, when you're without that precious keyblade of yours?_

_"Nothing." she answered her own question, "You are **nothing** without the keyblade."_

_"N-no...I-" Sora stammered, looking down at his clenched fists. He couldn't find an rebuke. He didn't have a rebuke._

_"You don't have anything to say to that, do you?," she continued, her voice full of mockery. "Of course you don't." _

_Maleficent lowered her voice to almost a whisper, "Because it's true."_

_Sora covered his ears with his hands, but they didn't seem to muffle out the witch's taunts. The voice wasn't Maleficent's anymore either. The words now seem to be coming from inside his head; his own voice was taunting him._

Worthless. Worthless. Worthless… 

_"Pathetic." Maleficent spat, "You are absolutely pathetic."_

_Sora bolted from the bed. He couldn't take it anymore; maybe because, somewhere in his heart, he believed those words._

_Behind him, still standing calmly in the room was Maleficent. Sora had bolted away too fast to see the triumphant smirk on her face. _

_Sora shot out of the room and ran down the halls, letting his legs take him in whatever direction they felt like taking him. He just needed to escape those biting words. However, the seeds of doubt were already sown. As he ran blindly down the halls, he couldn't help but wonder. What was he without the keyblade?_

_Suddenly, Sora crashed into something. Something solid and firm, but moving. Sora heard heavy breathing. Something that is decidedly not a wall. So it wasn't a heartless; heartless don't breathe. It moved back into the shadow and growled. So it was something alive and vicious._

_Having fallen back a few feet from the collision, Sora continued backwards, scrambling to move away from whatever was in the shadows. _

_His back hit the wall. He could move no further. _

_Sora looked frantically left and right. Sora heard a louder growl and whipped his head towards the figure obscured by the shadows. He squinted his eyes, trying to see the creature more clearly, but the lighting was too dim. It reared up to its sizable full height and, in a voice cross between a carnal growl and human speech, roared, "Where's Belle!?"_

_"Wh-Who?" Sora stuttered. _

_Who was Belle? Sora hadn't met a "Belle" before. _

_Sora couldn't see more than the giant silhouette. He tried moving further back, but the wall, not surprisingly, didn't give._

_With a speed faster than should be possible for a creature that size, the figure lunged forward. Two monstrous claws slammed on either side of Sora, nails scraping harshly against the wall, trapping the frightened in place. _

_"Where is she?", it roared again. Sora felt it's heaving breaths upon his face._

_Sora squeezed his eyes shut, babbling rapidly, "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know-" As he continued, Sora felt more tears streak down his face, flowing down the same path that dried after the confrontation with Riku. He unconsciously curled into a ball, easily forgetting his surroundings as his mind went back to Maleficent's words. His voice dulled down "I don't know anything-"_

_The breathing against his face slowed. The creature spoke, "You're not a heartless."_

_Sora looked up, startled. "Huh?" He was shocked that he wasn't being brutally mutilated._

_"You're not a heartless," the creature repeated and heaved back into an upright position, "Heartless don't cry." In a voice less feral and oddly human, it asked, "You don't know where Belle is?" _

_Sora shook his head vigorously. _

_The creature sighed, turned around slowly and started moving away, cape swishing slowly behind. "You can't help me so I must continue onwards. I must find her." It said as it slowly made its way down the hall and neared a dim light source. That was when Sora noticed the limp._

_"Wait!" Sora called. His concern quickly overrode his fear and he pushed himself up from the floor. He ran up beside the creature and touched its arm gently, "You're hurt!" _

_Sora took the opportunity to assess the creature more closely. In the dim light, Sora could make out most of its features. The large bulk of his was full of strength and muscle. Dark fur, probably brown, covered most of his body, even its face. Malicious looking canines stood out among sharp teeth in a large mouth. Curled, black horns protruded out of its temples. One thing struck Sora, though. The eyes were human._

_Those same eyes looked thoughtful as it spoke, "You do not recoil."_

_"Why would I recoil?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side in questioning._

_"Everyone else does." it whispered dejectedly, "I'm a hideous beast." _

_"No, you're not hideous!" Sora protested. He then realized he didn't know the creature's name, "...uh-"_

_"My name is Beast."_

_"Oh." Sora looked down. The name wasn't really helping his argument. He thought frantically for an answer to that. Sora wasn't all that successful. "Well," he started, drawling out the syllable to buy himself time, " you have… such…soft fur… so… you can… be…. cuddly…Yeah. Cuddly. That's always a plus, right?"_

_So maybe that wasn't the greatest thing to come out of Sora's mouth. Beast just stared at him Okay, scratch that. It was one of the worst things to ever come out of Sora's mouth. Then, suddenly, surprising both himself and Sora, Beast started to chuckle. It was more of a guttural sound that sounded more like a deep rumble than a chuckle, but Beast hadn't laughed in so long that his vocal cords were not used to producing the sound._

_Sora blushed, "Sorry," he stammered, "that was really-, uh-"_

_"Stupid." Beast finished. _

_Sora looked up at the beast, surprised. When he saw the lightness in Beast's eyes, he laughed a bit in agreement, "Yeah, that was a bit stupid, wasn't it?" _

_The beast let out a loud sigh, all remaining tension gone. "I haven't felt so at ease in such a long time," beast mused. Then, his expression turned grim as he spoke in a sad voice, "Not since she was taken from me."_

_"Belle?" Sora inquired._

_"Yes." Beast fell silent, making no move to elaborate._

_"Tell me about her." _

_Beast looked at Sora, questionably. Sora's expression was genuinely eager and curious. After a moment, Beast turned to look down the darkened halls of the castle. His eyes lost focus as his mind wandered into his memories. "She is my light." Beast said. "She's intelligent, beautiful, kind, gentle, strong..." Beast's voice trailed off. He was silent for a moment before he continued, "She is everything good in my world." He took a deep breath as his eyes cleared, strong determination shone in his eyes again, "That is why I must find her, to make sure she is safe." _

_"I can imagine how it feels." Sora said softly. He fell silent as his mind went back to Riku and Kairi. _

_Beast's voice cut through Sora's silent musings. "So you have someone?"_

_Riku, his mind said immediately. "Yes." Sora answered. Then his mind then went to Kairi. He frowned, "No, wait." He sighed dejectedly. "I don't know." Sora's shoulder slumped down in defeat. He didn't really want to answer the question. He racked his mind for a way to change the subject. Riku had always been better at dodging questions. _

"_It's alright," the beast whispered. Sora looked up at his companion._

_The beast continued, "It's alright not to have the answers right now. I was years older than you are now when my life was still a mess. I didn't think I'd ever find someone to love, and have that someone love me back. I didn't have any hope, until I met Belle…"_

_Sora then thought of something._

_"Wait, you said that Belle was taken from you." Sora broke the silence, "And you've been searching for her." _

_Beast nodded in affirmation._

_"So, you're not from this world?" _

_Beast nodded again._

_"So how did you get here?"_

_"I followed my heart." Beast answered as if it were the most normal thing in the universe._

_Sora was shocked. How was Beast able to travel without a gummi ship? He stared wide-eyed at Beast as he blurted, "You got here, just by following his heart? How was that possible?"_

_The Beast shook his head and answered, "I don't know. I just left my world and never turned back." his voice became resolute, "I'm here now and my heart tells me that she is here."_

_"How touching." a venomous voice spat behind them._

_Both Sora and Beast spun around to find the source of the voice. It was Maleficent, her figure was rigid and tall as she stood framed by an eerie green glow in a dark backdrop. Her face was twisted in an angry scowl. _

_Her figure began to stalk closer to the duo. "You don't know when to give up, do you?"_

_Beast growled, crouching into a fighting stance, ready to defend his newfound friend._

_"You have been a constant thorn to my side." The witch spat scathingly. "Well, no longer! I will not stand for it!"_

_Sora, scared now, started to back away. He didn't get far. He experienced deja vu as his backside hit a dead end. A corner, yet again. This time, his assailant was not so forgiving. Sora wasn't going to get off the hook for having a heart. _

_The witch's face twisted into a sadistic smile. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "I will get rid of you myself."_

_The words were hushed but both Sora and Beast still caught the words. Having no weapon to defend himself with, Sora tried pressing himself further into the wall with no avail. _

_"No!" Beast roared and charged at the witch. She turned to face him and nonchalantly lifted her staff, then tapping it lightly on t he marble floor. _

_Chains sprung from the ground and wrapped around Beasts body, effectively restraining him. He let out another monstrous roar as he thrashed around violently in his restraints. The chains rattled and clanked together, straining against the Beast's forceful struggles; but did not break, enforced by magic._

_"Don't touch him!" Beast roared as he continued to struggle in his restraints. _

_Beast wasn't about to let the boy get hurt. Sora reminded Beast of his heart, Belle. Sora was the only one besides Belle who gave him a chance. She would've loved to meet the boy._

_Satisfied at the restraints, Maleficent turned her attention back to Sora. She drifted towards Sora with practiced ease and lifted her staff slowly, deliberately. She grinned wickedly, ignoring the Beast's vicious struggles behind her. _

_Sora squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head to the side and bracing himself for the strike._

-----

"Well now, here we are." Merlin's voice interrupted his thoughts again. The wizard's house was still dimly lit; it was packed to the brim with books, but not in the cluttered way. It still gave a warm and cozy feeling, like home.

"Here's your cup of tea," Merlin said, ever the hospitable host.

"Thank you," Sora answered as he accepted the steaming cup. He brought the cup to his nose and inhaled the warm scent of the tea and immediately felt calm.

"Why don't we start from the beginning," the wizard suggested, "That's always a good place to start."

Sora took a deep breath and nodded. This is going to take a while.

-----

In the spur of the moment, Sora decided to cut it short.

"Blah, blah, things happened, blah, blah Maleficent tried to kill me, but Riku saved me so we confessed our undying love for each other and had wild monkey sex."

Merlin didn't look surprised. In fact, he seemed to have expected the whole thing. The wizard rolled his eyes and huffed, "Well, it's about time, my boy." He turned around and smiled pleasantly to the figure of a pissed-off looking Yuffie who climbed out of her hiding place behind the mountain of books in Merlin's room.

"I was right," Merlin said cheerfully and he held up his hand in expectance, "So pay up."

Yuffie could only groan in frustration as she forked over the money. She swears this is going to be the last time that she ever gambles on anything with the wizard.

But everyone knows she's just going to gamble with him again two days later.

END

So, uh. April Fools, a week late…

tbc

Angst much? I probably chased away more than half the readers with the broody Sora by now. Just think of this angst as a horribly long exaggeration of the little almost-giving-up three seconds that Sora actually did have in the game. Completely OOC, but I promise Sora will NOT be such a wuss for long! He's getting back to his cute and determined little self soon (hopefully...that is, if I ever get around to writing the darn thing. I have a whooping 39 words written for the next chapter. Yes, you read right. 39 words.)

Anywho, this has been an obnoxiously long setting of the stage. And it's still not over yet... I'm working out a couple of huinkiedinks in the next chapter. (translate: serious plot holes + writer's block baaaaaad.) I want to put characters in that may or may not fit the narrative and it's not working out so well. Until then, thanks for sticking with me and my inconsistencies!


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